Thursday, March 10, 2016

Kindness, where have you gone?

Kindness has taken a hike. It used to be a distinguishing characteristic of United States citizens. Parents instilled it in their children. It was practiced everywhere, in schools, in public, at gatherings, in social situations, in business situations (sometimes), even at sports events! But that was then and this is now.

The now I'm referring to is the current cloud hanging over the entire country, courtesy of the Republican candidates running for President. It's not just kindness that has disappeared. It's civility, it's tolerance, it's compassion, sympathy, decency, thoughtfulness, gentleness, consideration.

Trump uses the worst language to describe Mexicans, Muslims, "Others" who are not like him. But when anyone else describes him in a negative way, out of his mouth drops not so subtle threatening remarks insinuating that something dire will befall that person. The entire Republican party engages in cruel, relentless, malevolent, hard-hearted, revengeful, unkind, lying rhetoric all the time to discredit all who don't march to their narrow, zealously religious, Constitution-bashing, anti-everything goose-stepping mentality.

There is a difference between Democrats (Liberals) and Republicans (Conservatives/Tea Party). One sees the good in a nation filled with a variety of cultures; the other sees only that a variety of cultures is a threat to their way of life.

Being kind to one another should not be an afterthought. It should be a distinguishing feature that people from around the world think of when they think of the people of the United States. Sadly, the Republicans are destroying what little good reputation we still have among the world community.